Ring-O

By Danielle Stucki

Never Smile at a MonkeyBy Steve Jenkins

• When it comes to wild animals, everyone knows that there are certain things you just don't do. It's clearly a bad idea to tease a tiger, pull a python's tail, or bother a black widow spider. But do you know how dangerous it can be to pet a platypus, collect a cone shell, or touch a tang fish? Some creatures have developed unusual ways of protecting themselves or catching prey, and this can make them unexpectedly hazardous to your health. In this dynamic and fascinating picture book by Steve Jenkins, you'll find out what you should never do if you encounter one of these surprisingly dangerous animals.Source: Amazon.com

Never Smile at a MonkeyActivity

• Before reading the text, the teacher will ask students if they have ever seen a wild animal, or if they have ever touched one.

• The teacher will read the book out loud to the students.

• While reading, the teacher will discuss the pictures and animals in the book.

• After reading, the teacher will initiate a class discussion about things in the book and why it is important to learn about them.

• The students will work alone to draw a picture of their favorite animal from the book.

• After drawing their pictures, the students will give a short report about their animal, using information from the book, and the picture they drew.

Science- 1.1.1 Observe, describe, draw, and sort objects carefully to learn about them.

Language Arts- 1.4.1 Discuss ideas and select a focus for group stories or other writing.

Gardner- Intrapersonal and Spatial and Verbal Linguistic

What Do You Do With A Tail Like This?By Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

• Children will learn that lizards can completely break off their tail as a defense and that it will grow back. And, they'll find out that crickets' ears are on their knees. Most fish have two eyes, but some have four, the better to see above and below the water at the same time. These are just a few of the fascinating facts of nature dangled out front to draw readers into this beautifully illustrated book. On each spread, five different animals' tails, ears, eyes, or other body parts, done in vibrant cut-paper collage, appear with a simple question ("What do you do with a- like this?"). The next spread shows the five creatures in their entirety and offers a brief explanation. For example, "If you're an elephant, you use your nose to give yourself a bath." The back pages offer more information for older or more curious readers. This is a great book for sharing one-on-one or with a group.Source: Amazon.com

What Do You Do With A Tail Like This?Activity

• The teacher will do a book walk with the students and then read the book put loud to them.

• After reading the book, the teacher will talk to the students about characteristics of animals.

• The teacher will tell the students that animal are classified into groups like mammals, etc. As a class they will try to classify the animals in the book by looking at their characteristics.

• The students will choose their favorite animal and write a fact about them. They will use complete sentences. The students will write sentences using the structure modeled in the book : "If you're an elephant, you use your nose to give yourself a bath."

• After the students have finished their sentences, they will trade with someone in the class. That student and the person they traded with will read each other sentence. They will then act out the animal in the sentence.

Science- 1.2.6 Describe and compare objects in terms of number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion.

Language Arts- 1.5.4 Use descriptive words when writing.

Gardner- Interpersonal and Bodily Kinesthetic and Nature Smart

First The Egg

By Laura Vaccaro Seeger

• This book delivers a string of delightful surprises as Seeger crisply explores the stages of development in the natural world and, then, how a story grows. Thickly textured backgrounds provide visual energy for minimalist images that cleverly incorporate additional die cuts. “First the EGG,” reads the text on the opening spread, which pictures the egg through an appropriately shaped hole. When children flip the page, they’ll find a fuzzy chick and its adult counterpart—“then the CHICKEN.” So it goes through the life stages of frog, flower, and butterfly. Suddenly, Seeger turns away from nature. “First the WORD,” she writes, “then the STORY.” “First the PAINT . . . then the PICTURE,” accompanied by a painting that pulls the book together, showing chicken, flower, frog, and butterfly enjoying a beautiful day together. A funny finale sets up the book’s beginning.Source: Amazon.com

First The EggActivity

• The teacher will ask the students if they have ever seen a baby animal grow and develop.

• The teacher will read the book “First The Egg” out loud to the class.

• After reading the book, the teacher will tell the class they are going to do a project with butterflies.

• The students will learn about the life cycle of a butterfly. The teacher will ask the students how many stages are in a butterflies life cycle. What is the number of stages in a chicken life cycle? Name the stages in order, 1st, 2nd, etc.

• They will make butterflies using pipe cleaners, paper, scissors, markers and glue. They will also write a brief description of their butterflies using standard English and punctuation.

Science- 1.5.1 Use numbers, up to 10, to place objects in order, such as first, second, and third, and to name them, such as bus numbers or phone numbers.

Language Arts- 1.2.2 Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order.Math- 1.1.7 Pose a question and collect and represent data using pictures or picture graphs to answer the question.

Gardner- Spatial and Mathematical/Logical

Biggest, Smallest, FastestBy Steve Jenkins

• A picture book about "some of the biggest and smallest, fastest and slowest, strongest and longest" record holders in the animal world. The facts are amazing. Their juxtaposition makes you gasp, not just about size and speed but about comparative wonders. Right after the African elephant, which eats more than 300 pounds of grass and leaves every day, there's a close-up two-page picture of an ant, which turns out to be the strongest animal for its size: it can carry five times its own weight. The book's design makes it accessible at many levels. The youngest can identify the various creatures.

Source:Amazon.com

Biggest, Smallest, FastestActivity

• Before reading the text, the teacher will have the students close their eyes and imagine the biggest and smallest animals they have ever seen. They will then have a grand conversation about them.

• The teacher will read the book out loud to the students, talking about each animal and fact as they read.

• After the teacher has read the book and discussed with the class, they will do a movement activity. The teacher will have the students stand up and spread out. They will then take turns saying their favorite animal from the book and each person in the class will act out something the animal can do (a fact from the book.)

• After completing the activity, the teacher will have the students write in their journals about their favorite animal from the book. They will write a fact they already know and a fact they learned about the animal.

Science-1.2.7 Write brief informational descriptions of a real object, person, place, or event using information from observations.

Language Arts- 1.2.7 Relate prior knowledge to what is read.

Gardner- Bodily Kinesthetic

How Many Ways Can You Catch A FlyBy Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

• This picture book is about the food chain, but there is much more scientific depth and detail here. The facts about how particular animals escape danger and evade predators to stay alive are just as exciting as the facts about hunting. With clear, gorgeous, freestanding images in cut- and torn-paper collage, each double-page spread shows detailed species close up, as well as the connections between animals. As salmon swim upstream to lay their eggs, a grizzly bear grabs a leaping fish in midair, and the text tells how. Then there are amazing descriptions of how various animals lay, protect, and hatch their eggs; how they use leaves (in an unforgettable small picture, an orangutan in the rain forest holds a large leaf overhead as an umbrella); how flies use their large eyes and lightning-fast reflexes to escape; and how animals dig holes to escape from enemies or to find food. At the back, two double-page spreads with beautiful small images add detailed notes about each creature for older children. An enthralling read-aloud, especially in small groups, where children can crowd up close to the images.

Source: Amazon.com

How Many Ways Can You Catch A FlyActivity

• The teacher will do a mini lesson about the food chain and how people and animals both have to eat to survive.

• The teacher will then read the book out-loud to the students.

• They will discuss the animals and their ways of survival as they read. They will compare the animals and what they do.

• After reading the book, the teacher will have the students draw a picture of an animals food chain. They will present/tell the class about their drawing. The students will also listen to the song Our Little Pocket Mouse.

Science- 1.4.3 Observe and explain that animals eat plants or other animals for food.

1.4.4 Explain that most living things need water, food, and air.

Language Arts- 1.7.10 Use visual aids, such as pictures and objects, to present oral information.

Gardner- Music

Living ColorBy Steve Jenkins

• this book opens by explaining that bright coloration goes beyond mere decoration: "If an animal is very colorful, it is likely that its brilliant skin, scales or feathers somehow help it stay alive." Arranged by color, subsequent spreads feature a rainbow of animals rendered in Jenkins' celebrated cut-paper style. Each picture is accompanied by a paragraph of nicely distilled information, most effective when it specifically links color to survival tactics such as camouflage, mating, or the repulsion of predators. An accessible afterword explaining more about coloration is followed by a pictorial appendix that includes approximate sizes for the book's 66 creatures (the preceding depictions are not to scale, allowing Jenkins to lavish full attention on even the fingernail-size pygmy seahorse). From the pink fairy armadillo to the purple deep-sea dragonfish, readers will be fascinated by the panoply of critters that often seem the stuff of fairy lore, and educators will applaud the clever concept of presenting survival adaptations as a biological fashion show.

Source:Amazon.com

Living ColorActivity

• Teacher will do a book walk with the students. They will predict what the book is about.

• Next. The teacher will read the book out loud to the students and discuss the pictures as they are reading.

• After reading they will have a grand conversation about the animals in the book and characteristics that help them survive.

• After the grand conversation, the teacher will have the students draw a picture of an animal and how it uses its color or other characteristics to survive. They will also write complete sentences telling about their animal picture.

Language Arts-1.6.2 Write in complete sentences.

Science- 1.6.2 Observe that and describe how certain things change in some ways and stay the same in others, such as in their color, size, and weight.

Gardner- Spatial and Verbal linguistic

MoveBy Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

• A host of animal movements are sure to leave children wanting to imitate the animals' swinging, waddling, and jumping actions. Jenkins' signature paper collages, boldly set against white backgrounds, illustrate each of two actions per animal; these are preceded and followed by parallel movements performed by different animals. "A jacana [a waterbird] walks on floating lily pads . . . " reads a right-hand page. The page turn completes the sentence: "then dives to catch a fish." The blue whale pictured alongside dives, too, but the next page reveals that it also swims, just like the adjacent armadillo. The running text arcs around the images, often mimicking the featured movement, which also appears in large, boldface type on each spread. The text ends with an invitation--"Move!"--accompanied by a picture of bare human feet.

Source:Amazon.com

MoveActivity

• The teacher will read the book out loud to the students. Discussing the animals as they read.

• After reading they will discuss ways in which we could act out animal movements and sounds. Discuss and compare the movements and sounds of animals from the book.

• The class will stand in a large circle. The teacher will begin by picking a student to come to the middle, say an animal, and do a movement. The students in the circle will need to listen well. The other students will then repeat the movement and sound s/he did. The student in the middle will then pick someone else to go next.

Science- 1.2.6 Describe and compare objects in terms of number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion. Language Arts- 1.7.1 Listen attentively.

Gardner- Bodily-Kinaesthetic

My Dog is as smelly as Dirty SocksBy Hanoch Piven

• Filled with plays on words and similes, this delightful offering will encourage children's creativity. The narrator makes a line drawing of her family but explains that it doesn't do them justice. "And what about this drawing of my mom? Sorry, but it doesn't tell the whole story. My mommy is as soft as the softest FLUFF and as bright as the brightest LIGHT." This section ends, "That's my yummy mommy!" The gouache-and-watercolor illustrations are embellished with glued-on objects like a light bulb for a nose, a croissant for a mouth, and a boa for hair, in this case on Mom. The pictures support the text and add to the subtext. The book ends with an invitation to readers to create images of their families. Younger children will enjoy the story, but older kids will love the nuances, the opportunity for individuality, and the challenge of portraying their own relatives in this style.

Source:Amazon.com

My Dog is as smelly as Dirty SocksActivity

• The teacher will read the book out loud to the class.

• They will discuss the book and the descriptive words and similes that are used by the author. They will also talk about the five senses and how they are used to describe things in the book.

• After reading, the students will each create their own images of their families like what the author did in the book. The teacher will supply the students with appropriate materials in order for them to be as creative as possible.

• After completing the activity, the students will present them to the class. They will use descriptive words to tell about the members of their families and what they are like. They will also talk about the senses like touch, see, smell and taste, and why they chose to describe things the way they did.

Science- 1.2.7 Write brief informational descriptions of a real object, person, place, or event using information from observations.

Language Arts- 1.7.5 Use descriptive words when speaking about people, places, things, and events.

Gardner- Spatial and intrapersonal

What Do You Do When Something Wants To Eat You?

By Steve Jenkins• Experience the roller coaster ride of intrigue and escape as the vibrant pages of this book

come to life with each new danger. As the title suggests, this book explores many interesting and unusual ways that equally interesting and unusual animals avoid becoming a predator's dinner. The Basilisk Lizard, for example, narrowly escapes the beak of a vicious-looking heron by running across the water's surface. This unique talent has earned it the nickname "Jesus Christ Lizard" in his native country of South America. Other animals featured in this selection are the puffer fish, the blue-tongued skink, and the hog-nosed snake. The textured, vividly colorful, and eye-catching illustrations compliment the story as each of the fourteen predators face off against their potential prey. Parents will like that the book is educational, and children will find it entertaining. Although intended for children, this book is for anyone from age 4 to 104 who enjoys

learning about animals. Source: Amazon.com

What Do You Do When Something Wants To Eat You?

Activity• The teacher will begin by asking the students, “Has something ever tried to eat you? Have you ever

seen an animal try to eat another animal?” This should lead into a conversation about animals food chains and what they have to do to survive.

• The teacher will the read the book out loud to the students and talk about the pictures and animals as they read.

• After reading there will be a class discussion about what was learned in the book, and why animals do what they do, and how they survive.

• After the conversation, the students will work in small groups to role play some of the scenarios from the book. They will have to work together to act out the animals and what they do. After they act out the scenario they will have to describe and tell about what was going on to the rest of the class.

Science- 1.4.3 Observe and explain that animals eat plants or other animals for food.

Language Arts- 1.7.4 Stay on the topic when speaking.

Gardner- Interpersonal and Bodily kinaesthetic

Hottest, Coldest, Highest, DeepestBy Steve Jenkins

• In this world record book of natural history, Jenkins identifies and describes places such as the planet's deepest lake, highest mountain, most active volcano, the most extreme tides, and the places designated the hottest, the coldest, the wettest, the driest, and the windiest on Earth. Each spread features a distinctive collage of cut-and-torn papers, which vary in texture and hue. Silhouetted forms provide dramatic focal points in the compositions. Each spread includes a couple of lines of text, supplemented with more information in smaller type and inset maps and diagrams that help the reader visualize just how high, deep, or wet the subject is in comparison with others of its kind. Highly effective visual education for the classroom or for young browsers

intrigued by superlatives. Source: Amazon.com

Hottest, Coldest, Highest, DeepestActivity

• To begin the activity, the teacher will ask the students to close their eyes and think of a place anywhere in the world they want to go, and try to see it (visualize).

• Then the teacher will ask the students to remember what they are thinking of and hoe it looks. She will read the book out loud to the students.

• After reading she will ask the students if they had visualized any of the places in the book, and if they looked like they thought they would. The class will have a grand conversation about the places in the book and where they imagined going.

• After the conversation, the students will each draw a picture of the place they want to go. They will also have to look in informational books to find more information about them. They will use the information they found to write a few sentences about the place they would like to see, then present it to the class.

Science- 1.2.7 Write brief informational descriptions of a real object, person, place, or event using information from observations

Language Arts- 1.6.2 Write in complete sentences.

Gardner- intrapersonal and spatial